Renewables 2012 Global Status Report

The 2012 edition of REN21’s Renewables Global Status Report (GSR) was launched together with its sister publication UNEP’s Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment (GTR).

First released in 2005, REN21’s Renewables Global Status Report (GSR) has grown to become a truely collaborative effort of over 400 contributors and reviewers, and is today the most frequently referenced report on renewable energy market, industry and policy trends.

The findings in the 2012 GSR speak to the cumulating effect of steady growth in renewable energy markets, support policies and investment over the past years. In 2011, renewable sources supplied 16.7 per cent of global final energy consumption where the share of modern renewables increased while the share of traditional biomass slightly declined, 118 countries implemented RE targets with more than half in developing countries, and despite a widening sovereign debt crisis in Europe and rapidly falling prices for renewable power equipment, investment in renewables increased 17 per cent to a record $257 billion, which the UNEP GTR reports is a six-fold increase on the 2004 figure and 94 per cent higher than the total in 2007, the year before the world financial crisis. 2011 also saw photovoltaic module prices drop by 50 per cent and onshore wind turbines by close to 10 per cent bringing to price of the leading renewable power technologies closer to grid parity with fossil fuels such as coal and gas.

These are just a few of the trends found in the GSR 2012 that illustrate the significant and rapidly growing share of renewables in energy markets, industrial policy and investments, moving renewable beyond “niche” status. The 2012 GSR places a special focus on rural renewable energy by highlighting the main trends in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

The REN21 2012 Renewables Global Status Report is now available at www.re21.net/gsr. Help us spread the word and initiate dialogue around the key findings on the status of renewable energy world over. You can join the large GSR community by organizing a launch event for the 2012 Global Status Report (GSR) or by sharing the report on your websites, portals, blogs, newsletters etc. REN21 has also created an easy to install GSR 2012 widget that can be added on your webpage to further promote the developments in renewable energy in 2011. The perspectives provided in the GSR are further detailed in the REN21 Renewables Interactive Map, where country specific renewable energy developments are highlighted.

Please visit the REN21 website or the GSR Outreach Calendar for further details on how to partner with us or write to us at gsr@ren21.net.

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